Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want today to take the opportunity to talk about a very important project in my electorate funded under the previous Labor government's Better Futures Local Solutions. Unfortunately, that has been terminated by the present government, but this particular project, Expanding School Hubs into Secondary Schools, recently received an award from the Hume City Council. The project was initiated in May last year with 12 months' seed funding under the Local Solutions Fund. I am very pleased that it was formally recognised as the winner of the Outstanding Team Scholarship category for the Hume Council 2014 Teachers Scholarship.

The scholarship awards, presented on 13 November, are a key part of the Hume council and the Hume Global Learning Village priority for lifelong learning. That comes under the banner of the Hume City Horizons 2040. Maria Axarlis Coulter, former government action leader of the fund, was a member of the judging panel who chose the winning project. Maria was able to describe the absolute joy and thrill of the principals from the Ilim Islamic College, the Penola Catholic College, and the Mt Ridley P-12 College, who were very grateful to receive the $4,000 prize money. This money, together with dedicated internal resources, will sustain the secondary hubs initiative and allowed to continue to focus on improving student's education, retention and attainment.

This award was the first of its kind—a cross-sector initiative—and was noted as making a difference to the students and the broader community. The award money will contribute to the planning for the inaugural 2015 inter schools student leadership forum. The schools award reinforces the importance of place based funding to support the harnessing of local expertise and energy for better futures for local students, particularly those who are vulnerable, such as many of the students in my electorate.

The Expanding School program will be featured along with other local, national and international projects as part of the major Hume conference on education, which is due to take place in my electorate in early June next year.

Last week I also had the great privilege of welcoming the Labor shadow minister for foreign affairs, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, to my electorate to attend a very big luncheon that are organised with women in my electorate. The theme of the luncheon was the notion of women coming together to get to know each other and to help assist in developing a more cohesive and peaceful community.

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